Children born with birth deformities start their battle as soon as they are born. In normal circumstances, childbirth is the harbinger of happiness and joy for new parents and family. But, when the news of a congenital (Birth) deformity is declared, a sudden gloom sets in due to the known difficulties ahead. Financial burden due to lack of insurance coverage and poor penetration of affordable/free health care makes the journey hard to undertake.
The global incidence of craniofacial anomalies is approximately 1 in 3000 live births. In other words, in a country like India, there are 30 children born with a craniofacial condition every day. These might range from non-syndromic craniosynostosis to complex syndromic anomalies.
The nature of this condition is unique. Although these children have the full potential to grow, without the involvement of various specialists, giving them the best they deserve is often challenging. India's healthcare setup does not allow such highly specialised units to exist without encountering the difficulties of these procedures' financial burden on families. Most often, these children are left untreated or with suboptimal treatment, leading to increased intracranial pressure, which subsequently compromises their intellectual development, vision and, in some situations, failure to thrive. In extreme cases, children have been abandoned or thrown into the garbage bin as soon as they are born.
Globally, this condition is considered one of the most challenging and is treated only in highly specialized units. The United Kingdom, for instance, has only four centres dedicated to providing craniofacial care for the entire country. The purpose of highly specialised units is to allow focused care under one institution to improve the outcomes statistically and reduce the potential of any significant complication associated with these technical operations.
Craniofacial care in India remains scattered, with very few teams able to handle these conditions regularly and treat them free of cost. The training required to perform these surgeries is long and demanding, and in a country like India, it is not surprising that most medical professionals have avoided this speciality.
At Metamorface Foundation, we focus on providing children with birth differences (congenital anomalies) the care they deserve. The donations made towards the foundation are tax-exempt and will give these children a new lease on life.
Our Email id: metamorfacesurgery@gmail.com
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